Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
this was fine. Unremarkable honestly. Grace Draven is a talented writer. She’s a nice go-to for quick fantasy-romance, however there’s a lack of worldbuilding especially in this one. It Felt longer than it was and took me longer than I wanted to finish. I found martise to be sweet. Silhara was funny sometimes but also quite rude. Gurn was sweet and so was his relationship with Martise and Silhara. None of them were insanely developed as characters. I preferred the radiance trio to this book.
Obviously it’s a fantasy world where values are different but it was emphasized wayyyyy too much that Martise is “plain”. Like how often can the love interest call out fmc different versions of plain and lowkey ugly before it starts to become unbelievable that he somehow became attracted to her. Maybe Draven was trying a “looks don’t matter” approach but idk. Also the word cunnus was used a lot… were there no other synonyms lmfao
Idk how to explain it but I didn’t like the writing surrounding sex workers in this ?
Obviously it’s a fantasy world where values are different but it was emphasized wayyyyy too much that Martise is “plain”. Like how often can the love interest call out fmc different versions of plain and lowkey ugly before it starts to become unbelievable that he somehow became attracted to her. Maybe Draven was trying a “looks don’t matter” approach but idk. Also the word cunnus was used a lot… were there no other synonyms lmfao
Idk how to explain it but I didn’t like the writing surrounding sex workers in this ?
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
YYYAAASSSSS!!! I needed this book. I felt like I was in such a drought, and I stumbled upon this Oasis of awesome!!! I loved the characters, I loved the tease, I loved the story, I loved it all. I am looking for more of Grace's work bc she has me hooked. It was just a well written, witty story that had me falling for each character, including the smelly mage finding hound.
This is a truly wonderful book. I haven't read pure fantasy, as opposed to urban fantasy, for years, but I was drawn in by the serial Radiance on the author's blog. Ms. Draven's writing is beautiful and descriptive and the characters are compelling. With some books you get the sense of a switch flipped and the characters popped into being for the purpose of being in the story. Not here. All the characters, including incidental ones, seem to have existed forever.
emotional
hopeful
tense
I really enjoyed this book. It was a vivid, charming love story with a happy ending and enough angst/mystery to make it interesting but not enough to break my heart. A cozy read I ate up in a day. The writing reminded me of epic fantasy books I read as a child, but obviously with more adult content. Martise and Silhara's relationship made up for any shortcomings in the character development. I also loved Gurn, Cael, and Anya! If you're looking for a fierce, headstrong, darkly independent fmc this isn't for you (don't get me wrong, I love those characters too!), but I enjoyed Martise's quiet strength, endurance, and openness to love. She was uncomplicated, but not without wit and sharp intelligence. After reading a number of contemporary fantasy romance fashioned after ACOTAR and FBAA, I appreciated the gentleness of this story. I also appreciated that both Matrise and Silhara were described as being pretty normal-looking people. It was refreshing in a genre so often obsessed with beauty. Also, can we take a moment to appreciate how lovely those names are?
It was so easy to get swept up in this world, and I can't wait to dive into everything else Draven has dreamt up. This is a fantastical tale, romantic in every sense of the word, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It was so easy to get swept up in this world, and I can't wait to dive into everything else Draven has dreamt up. This is a fantastical tale, romantic in every sense of the word, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.